The Reds, earlier this summer, were forced to apologise to Southampton for making approaches to Van Dijk and interest seemed to cool over the transfer. But Van Dijk’s head has been turned and has now been left out of the Saints training camp visit to France, with manager Mauricio Pellegrino saying that the player is ‘not psychologically at 100%’ to train with his current teammates. Van Dijk has made it clear he wants to leave the Saints and Liverpool is his chosen destination.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, currently looking also to secure the services of Leipzig’s Naby Keita, is ready to smash the transfer record of both club and position for Van Dijk and pay up to £60 million, making him the fourth major signing of the summer for the Anfield club.

Should Van Dijk sign for Liverpool, he would become the sixth arrival from Southampton since 2014 and would take their spend on the Saints to around £150m, depending on the exact final fee for Van Dijk, with no one going in the opposite direction. It does seem that Southampton are very much Liverpool’s own feeder club – although none can doubt they make the Merseyside club pay for the privilege of having that unofficial status.